Gbenga Salu

EARLY LIFE

Oluwagbenga Adedoyin Salu was born in 1981 in Lagos, Nigeria, into a large extended family. He is a native of Igbogbo in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and grew up in areas including Shomolu and Bariga. From a young age he showed creative interests in cartooning, video games, fine art, and puzzles. He attended several primary and secondary schools in Lagos and was a science student, which initially directed him toward engineering.

CAREER

Salu initially enrolled in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos but switched to the Department of Creative Arts after about two years, graduating in 2005. He later studied filmmaking at the London Film Academy. He began his professional career as a self-taught visual effects artist and music video director. He gained recognition directing and editing music videos for artists including Mo’Hits Allstars (Ten Ten), D’Prince (Omoba), T.W.O (Two Legit, Believe in Me), Jaywon (Tinko Angel), Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (Viva Africa), Lynxxx (Change Your Parade), Infinity (Ayeole, Six Feet), Lagbaja (Omo Jayejaye), and others. Awards include: Best Special Effects/Editing – Soundcity Music Video Awards (SMVA), 2008 Most Promising Director – Nigerian Music Video Awards (NMVA), 2009 Nominations for Best Screen Producer at The Future Awards In 2017 he founded Naijafootballers, a popular online platform covering Nigerian football and footballers. It also launched The Ballers Awards, an event celebrating Nigerian football talent (endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation), with editions hosted by personalities such as Murphy Ijemba, FunnyBone, Debola Adebanjo, Simi Drey, and others. Film and series credits include: A Christmas Story in Kingston (2024 short, written and directed by Salu, produced by Temitope Salu under Creatopia Studios) Idawa (short) – Best Experimental Short, North America, Couch Film Festival Convictus (short) – nominated for Best Short at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2023 A Simple Plan (short) 10:10 (web mini-series) – Runner-up, Afrinolly Movie Awards Schemers (feature) True Scarlet (TV series) He continues to work in film, animation, commercials, and visual effects through Creatopia Studios in Canada.

PERSONAL LIFE

Salu married Temitope Oshofisan on 20 April 2013. Temitope is a University of Lagos Accounting graduate who works as a professional actress, voice-over artist, writer, and producer. The couple later moved to Kingston, Ontario, Canada, where they co-founded Creatopia Studios. They collaborate professionally on film projects (she produced his 2024 short A Christmas Story in Kingston). They balance creative work with family life.

Salu has described himself as proudly self-taught in many technical aspects of his craft. He has spoken about the challenges of balancing creative passion with practical realities and the opportunities found in Canada’s creative ecosystem. His work spans music videos, narrative shorts, sports media, and community-focused storytelling.